My tiny slice of heaven
By shenuk
36 comments
Hi everyone! I am Sharon and this is my first EVER blog! No doubt it will be full of mistakes, ie: I will probably waffle on a bit too long, but its real and its honest so here we go.
I am fairly new to gardening and have the smallest of gardens, much to my sadness. But I do make the most of it. I guess when we are happy with our gardens, we always want bigger don’t we? I should say, I live with depression and have done for many years and my new found love of gardening (over the past 2 years) has given me a whole new venture to get my teeth into and I really really love it! It gets me outside and gives me something to concentrate on and a real sense of achievement once the summer comes around.
I have the most miniscule veg patch, which is basically a corner of my lawn cut away to allow a teeny patch for growing just spring onions/white onions, garlic, radish, mixed lettuce and beetroot. Last year I had it packed out with all sorts but made many mistakes and only the spring onions and chives really worked out. I also grow green beans in a little corner at the back of my garden, usually quite successfully.
I grow various different types of flowers, most of which I don’t know what the ‘official’ names of them are. But one of my new favorites has to be Livingstone Daisy’s. Last year I had oodles of them which gave me lots and lots of colour in various pots/tubs for months, right up until autumn.
I spend very little on my garden money wise, but time wise, I have to be dragged out of it most evenings. Pretty much everything it it, apart from the plants, is recycled. Eg: I found an old railway sleeper behind my garden on the railway embankment (obviously discarded by British Rail at some point in the last decade). Dragged it over to my garden, spent months cleaning it up, and it now sits proudly in my garden on a rough brick base, as a fabulous sun facing 10ft bench which is used daily!
This year, I am the proud owner of a second hand 8×6 greenhouse! I have wanted one for years and finally, this year, I have one! It’s now packed to the brim with nasturtiums, sweetpeas, sunflowers, livingstone daisys, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a vast array of other colourful little plantlets. ( I call them all my little plantees.. a non word, I know, but everything in my garden has a silly pet name).
Looking around at other peoples photos of their gardens before starting my blog, I see that mine is looking a little rather plain and uninteresting. There is nothing exotic growing in my garden. No fancy gadgets or garden additions. Just lots of well loved flowers and plants, most grown from seed over the past few years, some taken as cuttings from neighbours and friends, but I love it. I really do love it. Its my pride and joy. I love to sit for hours in it just watching the birds on the feeders or dancing in the trees in the trees behind my garden. I have even put up a new RSPB bird box in one of the trees behind the garden and I can now proudly watch a pair of Blue tits who have adopted it as their new home! I look forward to showing off some photos of my tiny slice of heaven with you. There isn’t much to see but I hope you like it. :)
6 Apr, 2012
12 likes
More blog posts by shenuk
Next post: A poem from the heart
Comments
Hi Sharon welcome to GoY glad you found us, hope you enjoy yourself as much as I do on here, it can be addictive so be warned. Everyone on here is lovely always good advice to be given and received, if you want to know anything everyone that can help will do. Have a great time in your garden and enjoy the summer. I look forward to some photographs of your garden shortly.
6 Apr, 2012
welcome to GoY
6 Apr, 2012
Welcome from me as well Sharon, you have come to the right place for friendship and good advice,enjoy. :o))
6 Apr, 2012
Watch out now Sharon..You will be on here as much as you are in the garden.
6 Apr, 2012
... and a big welcome from me too Sharon. It doesn't matter how big or small your garden is, or what you grow in it. It's the pleasure you get from being in it!! You'll meet many nice people on here who will be able to give you advice on gardening, comfort you when you're down and laugh with you when you're happy. Enjoy!
6 Apr, 2012
And again, welcome to GoY. You're going to like it here, for all the reasons already mentioned and more.
6 Apr, 2012
Everyone, thank you so much for your lovely comments! What a blooming fine welcome... scuse the pun :) I think I am addicted already.
6 Apr, 2012
That's the way it's meant to be.......
6 Apr, 2012
Welcome from me too,Sharon..you have written a lovely chatty blog..and had to smile at your 'pun'..you will see by my username,why ! :o))...It is a condition of most of us to have this addiction..bring it on .Lol
6 Apr, 2012
your garden sounds lovely ~ it will be great to hear more as the weather gets warmer,
welcome to GoY ~ hope you enjoy it!!
6 Apr, 2012
A warm welcome from me too Sharon.....you are going to love it here. Ive only been a member for just under a year - and already learned so much. They are a great bunch of people who are friendly, knowledgeable and whitty.
I will be looking forward to seeing your garden.
My own garden has been my ''project'' for 1 year now and am already getting far too impatient to see the improvements on last year.
Enjoy yourself :)
6 Apr, 2012
welcome from me too Sharon. I also call my plants names but always such charming ones :o)
You will find many types of gardens on here but the main thing is you enjoy it. Glad it helps you, mine certainly takes my stresses and strains away. It is a real joy to get out and work with nature.
6 Apr, 2012
And here's another welcome for you :o)
Your garden sounds great. The size doesn't matter. It's how much you love it that counts. I'm pleased to hear it helps with your depression aswell. There are several on here who live with that.
6 Apr, 2012
I think the only problem I have so far with this site is that it's damn hard to get off it! It indulges some of my favourite things! Gardening, wildlife and photography. What more could I ask for? Thanks so much again everyone :)
6 Apr, 2012
Now why is it that I understand completely what you mean?!
6 Apr, 2012
Have a long and pleasant stay with us
6 Apr, 2012
You must never start boiling a kettle or making jam or, in fact cooking anything and then log on - there have been more disasters reported by members getting caught up in the interesting bits on this site and ruining saucepans, kettles, casseroles, tonight's dinner etc.........
7 Apr, 2012
bath running is risky...but we don't bathe now there is a water shortage ;)
7 Apr, 2012
I wondered what the interesting aroma was........
7 Apr, 2012
Can you imagine..Postmans feet after a week ...Phewee!
7 Apr, 2012
hello and welcome from me and the pets,cant wait for your pics and you sound so happy with your garden,hope to hear loads from you,chris
7 Apr, 2012
Welcome from me as well I,m an addict too.....I didn,t realise when I first asked a question in 2009 that in 2012 I,d still be here with wonderful 'penfriends' all over the world Goy is amazing!
7 Apr, 2012
Welcome from me too, lovely blog looking forward to seeing your pics:)
7 Apr, 2012
Welcome from me too. Your garden sounds lovely :) Look forward to seeing your pics. I only joined in March 2012 and love GOY, it's so lovely to see others people's gardens and i drew much inspiration from this site. The members are really lovely people, very friendly and helpful. It's nice to be able to share and appreciate gardening nature birds plants views skies etc. with other like minded gardeners. It's true what they say...GOY is addictive....but really really great :))))))))
8 Apr, 2012
Hi Sharon - welcome from me too.
I started with a few veg back in 1976 (yes, the year of he big drought). Now I'm opening the garden for charity - gardening really does Grow On You - lol
9 Apr, 2012
Lovely blog Sharon! I believe in gardening as an excellent therapy for all kinds of 'ailments' and 'heartaches'. I look forward to sharing ideas with you...welcome to GoY!
9 Apr, 2012
Welcome to GOY. x
10 Apr, 2012
Hi Sharon..welcome to GOY..what a great blog..very interesting to read about your gardening passion and your enthusiasm is palpable, love it and..plantees..excellent..haha
I will look forward to hearing more about your gardening year, thanks for sharing it with us so far..
11 Apr, 2012
Hi! I'm new to all this too and your blog is inspiring! My garden is ickle as well with hopefully a miniscule veggie patch! just germinatin a million seeds (for the first time!) hope we can support each other. x
13 Apr, 2012
Thank you Jillwilcock and everyone else for your great comments :) I hope to do another blog shortly and hopefully keep it as interesting as this one! haha. Jill, you will love it here. And you, like I will probably find it very addictive. There is so much knowledge and inspiration on here, you will never google another plant again :)
15 Apr, 2012
A belated welcome from me Shenuk, I am working backwards on your blogs, lol, I'd missed this one, its a great blog, you have written a good description, a garden is what you make it no matter what size, your enthusiasm comes through in your words, like you I find it very therapeutic, I put my world to rights whilst working out there, my greenhouse plants know all my woes and very often help me sort them out, lol.
Enjoy both Goy and your garden...
18 Apr, 2012
Thanks Lincslass :) I have to be careful talking to my plants. My neighbour heard me once and thinks I am totally bonkers - which is a fair comment. haha. I don't want to bore my plants to death though. I have enough trouble propagating them as it is...
18 Apr, 2012
LOL, My neighbours are used to me, they hear me chatting to the dogs and cats often enough, oh my plants get a telling off if they don't behave, at least they don't answer back...
18 Apr, 2012
welcome to GOY .. brilliant blog .. looking forward to seeing lots more in the future :)
25 Apr, 2012
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Gardening is the best therapy there is for any number of ills. Compost should be available on the NHS!
Sharon, in EVERY respect, you will find you are among friends with very similar likes, dislikes, problems and joys. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy this site as much we all do. I for one am looking forward to seeing your "Little slice of Heaven" and in turn hope you enjoy sharing ours and profit from the friendships you will undoubtedly make. You will find that there are times when the mad ones amongst us diverge from the strictly horticultural subjects, and I hope you'll enjoy joining our ramblings, but it isn't obligatory :o))))))
6 Apr, 2012